Golf: Khaiat captures Mesa Verde title

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Akemi Khaiat, one of Japan’s top amateur female

golfers, captured the 2002 Mesa Verde Country Club women’s club

championship Friday in her first year of eligibility.

Khaiat, the medalist at the 1996 Women’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship

at San Diego Country Club, shot 84-79-79-80--322 to win by 23 strokes.

Khaiat, who has played in several U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and

Japan Open championships, has been a member of the Japan National Team

for the World Amateur (Espirito Trophy) several times and was elected

co-captain of the team at the 1998 World Amateur in Santiago, Chile.

She’s also a former member at Newport Beach Country Club and Riviera

Country Club, where she won women’s club titles all five years in which

she competed. Khaiat won Newport Beach championships in 1992, ’93 and

‘94, and ended Sandi Coffer’s streak of five straight titles.

At Mesa Verde, Khaiat ended Denise Woodard’s streak of six consecutive

titles. Woodard was second at 93-80-89-83--345, while Sue Jane Chi was

third at 87-90-87-88--352.

Tommye Steinmeyer won low net (306), while Marion Wilson captured the

first-flight gross championship at 280 (three rounds), followed by Janet

Irwin (290). Chie Wickham won low net in the first flight (229), while

Carol Banks was second (232).

Khaiat automatically qualified for the sixth annual Tea Cup Classic

this summer at Santa Ana Country Club (TBA), which features the four

women’s club champions in the Daily Pilot circulation and is part of the

Fletcher Jones Motorcars/Daily Pilot Club Championship Series.

Olivia Slutzky (Big Canyon Country Club) and Marianne Towersey (Santa

Ana) have also qualified for Tea Cup Classic VI. Newport Beach’s final

round is May 17.